Movie No. 12 (2015): BIRDMAN (Or, The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Birdman (or, The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Director: Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu
Cast: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone
I don't know how and where to start. I don't even want to give a synopsis of this movie. The movie really pushed my brain cells to work lest I'd be lost in its narrative. I had to pay attention to the dialog. I had to pay attention to every scene, which was a challenge at the early part of the movie because I was at a loss, not knowing if what I saw really happened. I only had a better grasp of the movie upon realizing that some of the scenes only existed in the mind of Riggan, a Broadway actor, who's the main protagonist in this movie. He's schizophrenic, which posed another challenge (i.e., when to know if a scene were imagined or not).
Director: Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu
Cast: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone
I don't know how and where to start. I don't even want to give a synopsis of this movie. The movie really pushed my brain cells to work lest I'd be lost in its narrative. I had to pay attention to the dialog. I had to pay attention to every scene, which was a challenge at the early part of the movie because I was at a loss, not knowing if what I saw really happened. I only had a better grasp of the movie upon realizing that some of the scenes only existed in the mind of Riggan, a Broadway actor, who's the main protagonist in this movie. He's schizophrenic, which posed another challenge (i.e., when to know if a scene were imagined or not).
Riggan is a mess when not on stage giving life to his character. And when he's on stage, he's perfect. He's troubled by his superhero past. He tries to reconnect with his family. Some of the dizzying scenes of labyrinthine corridors of the backstage leading to the stage, shot using a hand-held camera, in my opinion, are suggestive of Riggan's troubled psyche.
The ending is a puzzle. I have two possible interpretations (or may be more). I can be wrong. However, either of these interpretations suggests a strong and memorable ending. But I'm quite more convinced with that interpretation which has something to do with what Riggan wants to see in his head regardless of whether 'that ending' really happens or not.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: January 11, 2015
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